Oshi no Ko
Description: "In the world of showbiz, lies are weapons." Gorou works as an OB-GYN in the countryside, a life far removed from the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, his favorite idol, Hoshino Ai, has begun her climb to stardom. The two meet in the "worst possible way," setting the gears of fate in motion!
(borrowed from MangaPlus)
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First episode is 1 hour and 20 minutes. Strongly recommend everyone watch it.
Goddamn! That took a lot of turns!
Felt like being in Takumi's passenger seat against God Hand.Originally Posted by DarthEnderX
Not sure the show can live up to it's intro.
I overlooked all the shortcomings, lots of them actually, and fully enjoyed what was brought to me.
After watching anime for so long, you think you can't be surprised or have fun... well it still happens !
All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening. And then: Golf.
...what he said!
I remember trying and dropping this manga a few years ago, which covered about the first 15 minutes of this episode. It was truly galaxy-brain to make this a five episode length prologue, because I wouldn't have made it to the actual story if I had to wade through multiple episodes to reach the real hook of this show.
"Twisted". That's the one word descriptor I'd use to describe everything here. That, and maybe "cynical". I'm typically put off by people worshipping idols so fervently, and that being taken seriously- I'd prefer it as the butt of a joke, but here our main character is a hopeless idol fan/degenerate. I like that his reasons are expounded upon as carrying on the enthusiasm of a lost patient, so he is a little less embarrassing, but his whole character still put me off out of the gate.
I also had to hand wave his poor decision making of chasing out the stalker into the woods to die a mysterious death like a true chump. Run time suggests that when he awoken as a baby, the first episode should have ended, and I would have been good to drop this just like in the manga... but the show went on.
I applaud the show concealing its hand so well for the first hour of its runtime. The childhood years seemed like some basic (boring) wish fulfillment at first, but slowly peeled back the layers of slime that compromise the idol gig (and by association the entertainment industry as a whole). I was wondering what the narrative point of all the positioning, character development of the suuuuper ditsy mom and struggle was, but now I get it, and I'm stoked to continue.
They gambled and it payed out for a very interesting setup to what could be an excellent mystery/thriller or perhaps a hybrid story if more focus is put on the daughter. I'm in.
Because they fit nowhere else in my thoughts: Manager's wife is easily best girl in this series- she's true to her trashy personality and still remains cute, sincere, and redemptive (coming to see the two as her own children even when her life course didn't go as hoped). I love it, though I don't expect her to have a prominent place in the show going forward. Also, the director's 'drinking buddy' conversations with a 3 year old being swept under the rug as 'a sign of the times' is so negligently Japanese I can't help but chuckle at them.
Spoken like a sage!
That right there is the whole theme of the series. The narrator stated it right from the very beginning, the entire entertainment world is built on lies, fully self-aware, and only the audience is left out of the loop when they willingly choose to do so and believe all the lies they're shoveled.
Ai in particular gets a full character arc on how her life was built on lies. She's honestly a bit of a sociopath throughout the arc, but she also knows it. She's never been loved and has no idea how to genuinely show it, but was more than happy to feed the Lie of Love to her audience in the hope that the lie would eventually be made real. Her initial motivation to have children was a mistake, because she was hoping to be forced into the position of loving them and finally learning what it meant. She was deathly afraid of it being a lie, which means she'd be as irredeemable as her own mother. Thankfully, her worries were just in her head, and she got what she wanted all along, if bittersweet.
Aqua and Ruby have the same thematic core problems. Ruby was abandoned, though not as completely as Ai was. She's also not sure if it is okay to actually strive for what she wants, and we saw that in the dance practice scenes. Aqua is so damn good at lying, that he is starting to lose a sense of what's actually true. His genuine love for Ai has twisted into a weird self-destructive desire for revenge, and he's also been lying to Ruby to keep her "innocent," like Sarina was to him. He just doesn't know that she isn't either, because he couldn't make the connection that she really is Sarina, and he didn't know her quite as completely as he thought.
The scene with child-actress Arima Kana was a different perspective on lies, one for good. The Director lied to Kana and used Aqua to do it, in order to break Kana of a budding pattern of arrogance that would only hurt her career in the long run (like many child actors who get full of themselves and then find all their roles vanish). He used non-actor Aqua to humble Kana. She broke down because her pride was shattered, but desperately asked for more takes, which will only make her better.
can't write as much as others, but I really love the manga, and the first episode didn't disappoint. they did an amazing job with Ai.
the visual moment of turning the camera at the room after the stab was great, I hope we get more of those shots.
The doctor ran after the exceedingly shady stalker and got killed. That was so unnatural that I had to pause the video for a while and recall Ryll praising this series, to keep watching. I was wondering why the series had such a trash isekai quality setting for the MC, but then the last line (not including post-ed) "And now, I begin my revenge play" was from an edgelord revenge isekai. Makes sense.
Yeah, the various twists will allow me to keep watching. Especially Ai dying. I didn't see that coming. I also didn't foresee the Japanese police actually finding the apparent murderer. That was the biggest twist, knowing the world-famous incompetence of what goes for the police force in Japan. But then again, it was also a setting for Aqua's real revenge against the mastermind, presumably the biological father, so that much had to happen.
Ai was an interesting character. Narcissist sociopathy arises from not knowing any love in childhood and thus desiring it (and basically any attention, admiration, etc), selfishly, in adulthood, no matter the cost. Ironically such people can make great idols, actors, politicians, and so forth precisely because they stop at nothing to capture people's attention, but at the same time they couldn't care less about all of those people's own wishes or needs, which allows them to keep going and rise very high, never getting satisfied and always renewing their ambition. Ai certainly wasn't a dangerous example of the disorder, but she was an example nonetheless.
To be fair, it's not like they caught him. He killed himself.
The stalker was the source of many a relief twist for me.
At first I was like, "Oh no, his twin sister is the stalker. He musta killed himself right after killing the doctor to make all this happen." But then, no.
And then I was like, "Oh no, their father is the stalker." But then, no.
I'm a little annoyed that they're holding off on revealing the identities of the twins to each other. Seems like something they would have EVENTUALLY talked about by the time they were teenagers.
Yeah, it seems almost impossible. They were both diehard fans of Ai in their past and new lives. So, they would obviously talk about her with great obsession. Anyone who's really thrilled about something will keep prattling about it heedlessly, given an audience, until they may, or may not, suddenly become aware of it and stop themselves. If there are two people, or more, sharing exactly the same source of eagerness, nothing should stop them. So, it's quite remarkable they didn't spill the beans even if they never consciously meant to.
I'd say the only reason is that there's a certain kind of wall between them. I'm not going to say dislike, but just the fact they already lived one life and formed their own personalities, separate from each other, unlike siblings normally growing up in the same household. So, actually all they shared was their fandom, they weren't real siblings, even if they share the same blood biologically. It was like two strangers forced to live in the same house for years, both having quite different personalities, which caused clashes. So, I suppose their discussions tended to be "professional" (if you can call fandom that), without anything personal in them, aside from opinions.
episode 2: much more ruby centric. it's nepo-babies time!
I like the OP, a good mix of peppy and dark. the visual of the ED with aqua being in a movie fit the theme.
not that much of visual episode, though.
I can understand Aqua's behavior quite well, based on the first ep. Even if he doesn't know Ruby is the kid he once lost as a doctor, he still knows he doesn't want to lose another important person. He's also pretty disillusioned because he was already old enough in his previous life, so he was never going to live the dream-filled teenage years for a second time. Especially after he watched Ai getting murdered. Ruby, or rather Sarina, died quite young, so she's now living her teenage years for the first time, so obviously she's going to have her head in the clouds. That's a truly fundamental difference between the two.
Nevertheless, I feel like the director was saying something important to Aqua, so it's a crying shame the I-don't-care mother interrupted them time after time. I don't understand how the director can keep living in the same house with her. There are lots of abandoned houses/apartments all over Japan, including Tokyo, due to the shrinking population, so he should get a place of his own. It's not like a director needs to live in the middle of Tokyo anyway. He's not going to direct movies in his own house, and where he edits them afterwards doesn't matter one bit.
It's difficult to expect overly exciting school time from Aqua, though. Having been a physician in his past life, he must have cleared everything, including university, decently enough, so it must be annoying for him to go through it again. I doubt he finds the other students that interesting either, having an adult's mind himself.
is that really a thing? I think the population shrinking mostly effects the outskirts, not the large towns (which draw in the few youths that do live). city center is always going to be expensive.
sig made by Itachi-y2k5, thanks, dude!
Currently Watching: probably a show directed at 9 years old girls, lets be honest.
You know the important distinction between Batman and me? Batman is fictional. In real life, there isn't always an alternative.
In the past I watched a Youtube short video from a foreigner looking person living in Japan. He talked about it and how he bought an abandoned house in Tokyo for a price that sounded quite unreal (like, cheap). He needed to do extensive renovations, but that's often the case with houses where a couple lived till they died of old age. Of course it was just a Youtube video, so there's no verified credibility, but it did sound valid when watching it. If you are willing to live outside of the cities, you can apparently get a big house practically for pocket money.
light or dark eye... easy to understand.
I didn't think about how Aqua wants to protect Ruby teenage days. And I'm pretty sure he knows full well she's Sarina. She didn't confirm, but he asked... So protecting her teenage years (and everywhen after...) is even more important to him.
Regarding his inability to enjoy a second teenagehood, I hope Kana can unlock that. Ruby and Aqua have star eyes, Kana has got galaxy eyes, don't know if there's a meaning/destiny with those, but I hope she can push him hard out of his self inflicted misery.
At least studying will not take much of his time, so he should enjoy all kind of good experiences teenagers and students may have.
All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening. And then: Golf.
I wrote something else and it got deleted, then someone posted a video about houses costing 20k
it doesn't say it happens in tokyo, but we're already getting off-course.
sig made by Itachi-y2k5, thanks, dude!
Currently Watching: probably a show directed at 9 years old girls, lets be honest.
You know the important distinction between Batman and me? Batman is fictional. In real life, there isn't always an alternative.
I like how we progressive go from Miyako lounging around and contemplating selling the secret, doing the books in the past (proving she was actually competent beyond her vocalized desire to hang out with pretty boy talents) to fully running the company now. She's grown into a truly loving parent for those two, who looks out for them in a quite direct way. She challenged Ruby's dreams in a more direct and methodical manner to show she looks out for them. That's effective character development by showing things rather than shitting out tons of exposition.
She's a real pro about their work now.
Aqua on the other hand, is a bastard about it, but he does love his sister dearly and genuinely. He doesn't want her to screw herself over going with some trashy underground groups, and especially doesn't want her going into the Idol Meatgrinder (they're not really shy about how that was an attack on Yasushi Akimoto's groups like AKB48/Sakamichi/dozens of others). The kind where you're either at the top risking semen-covered handshakes from fans, or out in a matter of months and off to the AV circuit. Cheery and very prominent on television, ads, and public events, but ruthless and soulless on the inside of the super groups with almost no chance to stand out.
He's probably misguided in his overprotectiveness though. He thinks the whole burden is on him to avenge their mother, and wants Ruby strictly innocent and out of it to live her happy life out of showbiz. Which one, she clearly is willing to risk it despite being a subpar singer, and two, between the toddler flame-wars and some of the other super creepy stuff Ruby said as a baby, Sarina had plenty of darkness to her too. They should be working together, but Aqua has a dumbass attitude of self-sacrifice in their collective vengeance that I'm not thrilled about.
Last edited by Ryllharu; Wed, 04-19-2023 at 06:54 PM.
He probably feels more like Ruby's guardian/dad than brother. He was already 30 years old (or something) when he died, but he knows Ruby was much younger. So, he's trying to protect her happy childhood, like a responsible adult should. Watching AI get murdered by "a fan" must have affected his image of the idol industry exactly as one would expect.
I wonder how the Japanese justice system works. Did they get any compensation money from the murderer?
I don't think so. Ai was an orphan living on her own without family, the twins are registered under the directors' family. they couldn't sue without going public. and I don't think the family of the murderer could even pay that much, and a trial would be the worst possible thing for everyone to endure. they would try to say that Ai has partial responsibility because she opened the door or something like that.
something else: in the manga, one of the twitter comments accuses Shinzo Abe (the Japanese prime minister) as being weak on crime. this did not age well, and they were right to remove it from the anime.
Screenshot 2023-04-20 201211.png
sig made by Itachi-y2k5, thanks, dude!
Currently Watching: probably a show directed at 9 years old girls, lets be honest.
You know the important distinction between Batman and me? Batman is fictional. In real life, there isn't always an alternative.
Even if they are registered, now, under the Saitou name, the government obviously would know the truth. I believe privacy laws actually are pretty strict in Japan, despite lots of scummy yellow press, so they might have sought compensation without needing to expose themselves. Although that being said, what's the damage anyway when the mother is dead and cremated? I wouldn't count on the murderer having any family. He looked like a total loner, psycho otaku. He probably didn't possess anything valuable, but at least they could have taken what was there to take. Unless he had inherited a lot of money. If he owned a considerable inheritance, then I guess his relatives that would directly benefit might have tried to fight it. But it's pretty hard to fight against a murderer's victims, to defend the murderer, who had even killed himself and thus won't testify anymore. I doubt it would work even in the USA, which famously is governed by lawyers, let alone elsewhere.
They still use the Hoshino surname, but they would be in the Saito Family Registry instead of the Hoshino Family Registry now. That said, we don't actually know if Ai was also in the Saito Family Registry as she was abandoned and Ichigo was her official guardian already. I don't believe the public knew Ai's surname, or if they did, it wouldn't matter.
Their family name all has the same Kanji and reading. Ai's stage name was the same katakana as her real name. Aqua and Ruby have Kanji real names and katakana stage names and neither includes their surname.
Japanese laws aren't just strict. Even if something is TRUE, but damaging to someone's reputation, they can sue for damages. In the US, libel (printed slander) is only awarded if lawyers can prove the journalist/author knew what they printed (or said) was false. If it was true, libel/slander laws do not apply.
But Aqua, Ruby, and Miyako are currently hiding that the twins are Ai's children. No one knows Ai had children except for the senior staff of Ichigo Productions, the dead murderer, and the twins' father. Possibly not even the police.
Last edited by Ryllharu; Thu, 04-20-2023 at 03:55 PM.
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